The forest was quiet at the start of the second day. The light crept back in just like the darkness had come — not all at once, but in stages. The canopy above the deep woods let go of the darkness in layers, revealing little pockets of light between the ancient trunks. These spots grew from tiny glimmers to larger patches, creating a kind of visibility that was usable, yet never quite reached the bright, clear light of the city beyond.
The birds that inhabited the forest's mid-zone began their morning sound somewhere in the distance — muffled by the deep zone's density, arriving as texture rather than individual noise.
Robert was already awake.
